Cabinet construction



May 6, 1941.

V. H. SPRINGFORD ETAL v CABINET CONSTRUCTION I 2 SheetS -Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1953 May 6, 1941.

V..H. YSP-RINGFORD ETAL CABINET CONSTRUCTIQN Filed Jan. 23, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v s I I I ATTORNEY.

Patented May 6, 1941 CABINET CONSTRUCTION Vernon H. Springford and William Herbert Ellis, Evansville, Ind., assignors to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a. corporation of Delaware Application January 23, 1933, Serial No. 653,121

3 Claims.

This invention relates to cabinet construction and more particularly to cabinet construction employed in the manufacture of refrigerators.

Cabinets of this character commonly are formed of two sheet metal shells having insulation therebetween, and with or without a frame connecting the shells at their edges and with a suitable trim or finish for the contiguous edges of the shells.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a finish or trim for a door opening frame or the like, which trim is of improved appearance, of reduced cost, of durable construction, and which will minimize heat leakage.

. A further object of the invention is to provide a construction requiring a minimum of labor in assembling or disassembling and in which all fastening elements are concealed.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through a cabinet constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2, an enlarged fragmentary detail of the section of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3, a fragmentary horizontal section of a modified construction;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary horizontal section of a modified construction; and

Fig. 5, a fragmentary horizontal section of a modified construction.

Referring to the drawings, a refrigerator cabinet is formed of an outer sheet metal shell Ill and an inner sheet metal shell I I having insulation l2 therebetween. The inner shell II is sufficiently shallow to provide a flue l3 at the back of the cabinet so that air for cooling the heat-emitting parts, not shown, may be caused to pass therethrough by a natural draft. A back plate N forms a rear closure for the flue. This cabinet also includes a pair of complementarily formed frame sections and I6 of wood or similar material, to which the outer and inner shells Ill and H are attached, the respective frame and shell sections being slid together after being assembled. At the back of the cabinet at each corner are frame members formed of wooden strips l1 and I8.

The inner shell or liner is held in place by angle clips l9 connected by screws to the inner frame section l6, shelf hooks or supports 2| serving to fasten these clips to the liner. The outer frame section has the outer shell turned inwardly around its narrow edge, the extremity of the shell being located in a recess [6' in the inner frame.

The inner frame section I6 is formed to provide a lbeveleddoor opening having an imperferate surface and devoid of fastening screws or other unsightly fastening elements in the frame formingthe annular door opening, and likewise eliminates the necessity for the use of an extra trim strip around the door opening of the cabinet. In order to increase the durability of this exposed portion of the frame it is preferably given a finish 23 of a surface-protecting character. A suitable material is one that can be applied by spraying or in the form of a thin sheet as Pyralin or other desired material which is obtainable in any color desired.

'A construction in accordance with the above described disclosure considerably reduces the cost of production of a refrigerator.

Referring to Fig. 3, an inner shell II is fastened to an outer shell 24 by means of an intermediateframe 25 formed of a single part instead of two parts as in the preceding figures. The frame 25 is extended inwardly'to form a beveled door opening similar to the frame member 16 in the preceding figures, although of slightly narrower width. This beveled door frame is given a surface protecting finish 26, as previously described. The edge 24 of the outer metal shell is turned in to form an annular band or strip as shown.

In Fig. 4 is shown a construction slightly different from that of Figs. 1 and 2, the two-part frame members 21 and 28 each having a single fiat surface in contact with a similar surface of the cooperating member. Likewise a finish 29 of Pyralin, or the like, may be applied in a manner previously described.

In Fig. 5 is shown a further modification.-

, of which the strip is fastened irr place and concealed by the coat 33. Thecoat may be applied after or prior to the application of the strip 32 in place.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes may be made in the construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A refrigerator cabinet having a door and comprising spaced inner and outer metal shells, the edges of said inner and outer shells being spaced apart by and connected to a frame around an opening for said vdoor, saidframe comprising two separable sections, the inner shell being connected to a first one of said sections, and the outer shell being connected to the second one of said sections, said outer shell having an opening in the rear of the cabinet opposite said door opening and through which said inner shell and said first frame section may be moved to bring said first frame section into abutment against said second frame section upon assembly of the cabinet, and means independent of said frame for holding said inner shell within said outer shell so that said frame sections are retained in abutment.

2. A refrigerator cabinet as set forth in claim. 1 in which one of said frame sections overlaps the other so as to form the whole periphery of said door opening, the surface of said overlapping frame section around the door opening being finished to provide a door opening trim.

3. A refrigerator cabinet as set forth in claim 1 in which there is insulation around said inner shell, and said holding means includes members inserted between said insulation and said outer shell adjacent saidsecond opening.

V. H. SPRINGFORD. WILLIAM HERBERT ELLIS. 

